Re: Very disappointed in my FCPX work.

Hi Trig,

That is not an FCP X timeline, that is an FCP7 or Premiere timeline (-:

The problem is that you have detached the audio from the video. Why have you done that? As soon as you do that you can throw audio out of sync any time you do something to the video, just like in FCP.

There is no need to ever detach the audio from the video in FCP X. If you want to manipulate the video and the audio channels separately you just select the clips and you press CTRL+ALT+S to expand the audio components. Then you can do anything you wish, you can trim or blade or cut the clips, you can do overlap video and audio: the audio will never get out of sync (see screenshot).

So my advice for the future: do not try to make FCP X work like an old track-based NLE. That's a recipe for disaster. You seem to be very good at editing in FCP X, you only need to understand that video and audio that belong together should not be separated into "tracks".

As to your current project: you can restore your edit by opening a backup.

FCP X has an automatic backup feature that will save your project every 15 minutes if you have made changes to the edit during that time. To open a backup: select the Library and choose File > Open Library > From Backup. This will open a window where you can select which backup you want to open.

Another thing you can do to backup your work in the future, is to make a Snapshot of your project timeline before you make important changes to your project. Select the Project in the clip browser and press SHIFT+CMD+D. This will create a duplicate of your timeline exactly as it was when you made the Snapshot. If ever you mess up your edit doing the changes, you just select the Snapshot in your clip browser to return to the saved timeline.

Best wishes,

Ronny

Ronny, thank you so much for your time and education. I probably saw this advice from Larry Jordan or Lynda.com many times, but didn't grasp the importance of it.

I think I abandoned that rule when I started mixing the show from two different nights. The audio from one of the leads in the three camera shoot went out, so I went back for a reshoot with one camera. So, this lead me to breaking it apart, so I could mix the two. I am sure I could have left them linked, but FCP7 mentality took over.

I will certainly learn from this experience, as I have been learning for the last four weeks, and have been able to grasp the beauty of the program. I toss it up to going to school...we all loved that, didn't we?

I probably inadvertently trashed the backups when I was deleting two previous jobs. Big late night mistake.

Thanks again. Oh, do you have a voice like Larry? Would love to see a tutorial from you.

Trig

Thanks Ronny and Joe Blum,

My problem is, I started importing an hour ago (without it giving me a chance to select what to import) and it has found 2 of the 3 cameras on its own. But the third camera isn't loading, and the beach ball is still spinning. So, if I quit again, It will probably all have to be imported again. How do I get around this?

Trig

The only way you can solve this is by re-importing from the camera cards.

So you will have to quit the app, launch it again and select the clips that show "Camera Missing". Then you will be able to re-import the files from the camera cards. If a camera card is not showing up you will have to find it and select it first.

Best wishes,

Ronny

Ronny,

I just now came up as done. But, do I have to import the AVCHD files or can I continue using the completed .mov files. That is what I have been editing with all along. They had already been transcoded in FCP7 and brought over from my old computer to my new MacPro when I started using FCPX.

Trig

Hi Trig,

I don't understand why you would have AVCHD files as well as .mov files from the same footage in your project. When you start a new project you just import all your camera footage in FCP X and that's it. There is never any need to transcode anything in FCP7.

But if you had converted all your AVCHD footage to .mov files in FCP7, you have imported these .mov files in FCP X and you have been working with them without any problems, then I don't see why you would want to import the same AVCHD files as well.

Best wishes,

Ronny

Ronny,

Now I remember why I detached the audio. When I expand audio and video, I stretched out the audio to a different inpoint. Then, when I tried to add a transistion, the audio snapped back to the beginning of the video. So, I detached it so I could treat the audio separately.

So, there must be a different way to do it. Can you give me a hint?

Trig

Trig,

If your camera audio only has one stereo or one mono channel you can expand the audio (CTRL+S). Now you can stretch or shorten the audio as much as you wish, independently of the video, you can overlap it with the audio of the next clip and you can smooth out the overlapping audio channels by dragging the fade handles on the start or end of the audio channels (see screenshot 1). When you R-click on the fade handles you even can set a specific curve for the audio fades (Linear, S-curve etc...). This is much more precise and much more powerful than a simple transition effect (see screenshot 2).

If your camera audio has different discrete channels you can expand the audio components (CTRL+ALT+S), which will reveal every single audio channel your camera has recorded (e.g. camera audio, boom, lav. etc...). You can handle the components just like you handle expanded audio, and you can handle each channel independently. You can mute a channel or only part of it, you can add audio keyframes, you can lower or raise the volume of each channel separately, etc..., just like if each audio channel were a separate track. But the advantage over tracks is that you never can get the audio out of sync with its video, no matter what you do. In the screenshot of the timeline I posted above you can see two clips with expanded audio components.

Best wishes,

Ronny

Randy, my response is...wow!

Ronny,

I have a sinking feeling that you had mentioned a couple days ago that I was not on a primary timeline, but a sub timeline. I tried to copy and paste it over to a finished timeline but it won't let me.

So I want to make a Master File out of the first section, but I cannot share to Master File because that option is greyed out. Is this all because it is not on a primary timeline" I cannot see how you determine what type of timeline it is. They all look the same to me, and have confused me back when I was trying to figure out how to make compounds from muli-cam, etc. Just got off to a bad start.

Will I have to start this project over, or is there a way to use what I have...two weeks of work?

Trig

Trig,

The primary storyline is where you edit. Secondary storylines are just containers that are attached to the primary storyline.

If the Share option is greyed out this usually means your timeline is not active. Select your Project in the File Browser (a yellow box will show around your project, meaning it is selected) and choose File > Share > Export File.

If you only want to export a section of your timeline: just set an In point at the start of the section and an Out point at the end of it. FCP X will highlight the section with a yellow range box, which will only show on the primary storyline. But don't worry, everything above and under the selected range will export.

Best wishes,

Ronny

Ronny, I think I showed this before, but never got it resolved.
I have the project highlighted, but I can't share it.

I see the Sun Proj Beg has yellow yield sign on it. What do I do about that? Lll the clips below have not yellow yield sign.

Trig

Is this the project that is giving you all these "Missing Camera" warnings?

If this is the case you will never be able to export it until all the media have been imported correctly. If you have any camera connected to your system, disconnect it. Then go through your timeline and check if you see any clips with red warnings on them.


- Ronny

Best wishes,

Ronny

Everything is on the harddrive. They are all qt.mov files. They have all been brought in, made into a multiclip. All of them are connected now. There are no missing files. only the yellow yield sign on the project.
But, if I quit FCPX and restart it, it takes ten minutes or more for all the files to reconnect. All the files are on an external USB3 Seagate drive that showed a good throughput rating.

It would probably be better for me to start over, rather than fixing what is inside. Wish I could copy and past the timeline clips from this to another project, but I think I will learn faster by starting over.

Too many wierd things going on, like crashing when trying to open different copies of the project that I had made earlier. But, I am not giving up.
Thanks Ronny

Trig

When you select all the clips in the timeline (CMD+A) and you create a new project, cannot you paste the clips onto the new project's timeline?

Best wishes,

Ronny

Ronny, no, when I copy from one timeline, then go to the new timeline, it just goes 'bonk'.

This means there is something wrong with the project, and that's also why you cannot share it. Better to start fresh then.

Best wishes,

Ronny

Hurray, with your persistence I was able to copy a small chunk of the timeline and paste it. So, I think I can salvage the work by taking smaller copy/paste bits.

Until I hear more about how to do the multiclip audio, I should be safe doing it as I discribed, right?

Ronny, what is the best way to have two audio tracks available to balance body mics with room ambience? When the chorus sings, I need to have the ambient audio, but when the characters talk, I want to bring the body mics up. Can they both be linked to the same video track?

Right now I have two identical multiclips stacked on the timeline. Both are expanded so I can adjust the volume on the two different selected audio track. I will only be chopping up the top video track.

Perhaps the bottom video track will come in handy down the road, but is this a good approach.

On my previous layout, I made compound clips, but it was not easy to macke adjustments, because I had to find the spot each time.

Your thoughts?
Trig

If the two audio tracks were recorded by the same camera you just have to expand the audio components, as I have shown in the screenshots.

If the audio tracks were recorded externally you can sync them up with the video using the synchronize clips command.

Best wishes,

Ronny

I have the H4n ambient audio synced inside of the multclip along with the audio from the three cameras.
When I expand the audio component, I just get a larger audio track as seen at the bottom, and I loose my wave form. (it may appear later). But to no advantage.

Ronny, now what I have discovered, it is the audio that stops me from copy and pasting. So, I can save all of my video editing, and them I will match up the audio manually. But will save me a world of time doing over.

That's good news. I knew there was something fishy in that timeline, happy to hear it's only the audio and your video cuts are safe.

Best wishes,

Ronny

OK, Ronny, when do you sleep? or work?
You do have broadcast work to do, don't you?

Now, have you given any thought on how to edit a multiclip, using the audio from two of the three cameras. (I am not using the H4n recorded audio). Or should I just go ahead and leave the body mics connected to the multiclip, then just manually keep the ambient audio track in sync? Or how do I use auto sync? I selected the multiclip and the separate audio clip, but 'Clip/Synchronize Clips' is greyed out. Now these are fresh clips, not copied from the old timeline.

Thank you,
Trig

Yes I still do some work sometimes (-:

I have a meeting in a few moments, I will get back to you later today about the audio.

Best wishes,

Ronny

Trig you may need to go to FCPX class in your area. Sometimes you need a one on one interaction to answer your questions.

Good luck!

Jason

Good idea, Jason. How do I find where the closest one is, do you know?

Trig

Hi Trig,

About the audio:

1. If all the audio you need to use has been recorded one one or more of your cameras: just make a multiclip, select the audio channel you want to use and cut the video. When the video has been cut you select the multi clip (CMD+A) and you expand the audio components (CTRL+ALT+S). Now In the Inspector > Audio tab you can select which audio channels you want to see for each clip or for any selected clips on the timeline. Just check the channels you want and un-check those you don't want. You will see your selection updating in the timeline. When you have only the channels you need on the timeline you can mix them independently.

2. If you have audio recorded by your cameras and you also have an audio track that was recorded with an external audio device (not a camera): select the camera clips and the external audio clip in the browser and make a multicam clip. The external audio track will appear as a separate angle in the angle viewer and you will be able to use it in your final mix.

Best wishes,

Ronny